The next morning greeted Rhys with a sense of being complete.

All his life, the harbinger had thought that he himself was enough to be content. After all, was he not a Nayanor warlord? He didn't need anyone or anything to make his existence more meaningful. Pleasurable, sometimes.

The females he'd brought to his bed had sated him, some of them well. Those were the ones Rhys had honored with calling them back when he'd been too preoccupied to search for new meat.

None of those fleeting, already fading memories compared to Quinn.

Being near her made Rhys feel like he was twice the man he used to be and he judged that to be fair. It was a cruel trick of the gods to make a man need another to reach his full potential, but perhaps that was the core of the fated bond. Quinn gave him everything he could have ever wanted, leaving Rhys free to pursue all the goals he set for himself, knowing he finally had her by his side.

That was the theory, at least. Rhys knew there were still ways to go until the little Terran was completely tamed, utterly his.

"We reached Luminos during the night," Rhys told his fated when he watched her get dressed for the day.

His eyes wandered over her lush curves, thinking of the night before. There was no doubt in the harbinger's heart that they would soon repeat that. Rhys wanted Quinn to long for his cock every time he stepped into the room, just like he craved her.

Quinn stopped, looking at him with naked surprise in her eyes. The dress of red and copper she'd been pulling on was hanging off her left shoulder, leaving it bare for Rhys' hungry gaze. He'd had the clothing brought that morning. If Quinn was going to step on Luminos that day, he wanted his fated in his colors, for everyone to see her and know she was his.

His fated had agreed, as she apparently couldn't conjure objection to something as simple as clothing.

"We did?" she asked. "I didn't think it would go so fast."

"The pilot did a good job," Rhys was forced to admit. "I have a very gifted one. He's the son of a Nayanor warrior and a Terran female. I don't know how it works, but his reflexes and senses are sharper than those who only have one heritage.

"He brought us out of the wormhole so smoothly you didn't even notice. And the trip to Luminos didn't take long."

Quinn was listening with interest, resuming her dressing. Rhys could practically see the cogs in her head turning as she processed the information. He figured the female was trying to sort through it, see if anything would be useful to her.

"I didn't know that it worked like that," she said, raising her gorgeous eyes to him again, the smile on her lips saying that for the time at least, she was happy.

Rhys would have given everything to keep her that way, but he knew that what he had to say would soon ruin her mood. He hated the fact. After their bonding, the harbinger wished to hold his fated closer to him, not push her away, which was bound to happen.

"Are the mixed children more gifted, then?" Quinn asked, looking at the furry boots he'd ordered for her with interest. "Also, these feel so soft. Please tell me these aren't made from some animal you killed."

"I got the impression Terrans also wore the fur of animals," Rhys pointed out.

"We do, we do," Quinn said, checking the boots from under every angle, "but we put some time between the killing and the wearing. I don't want it to bite my toes off. I'm very particular about keeping my toes."

Rhys barked a laugh at her, earning a raised eyebrow, which made Quinn look absolutely breathtaking in her innocence. The harbinger would never have thought the quality would attract him in a female.

"It's fine," he assured her. "Luminos is a very cold planet, so yes, they are made from a beast that dwells in the dangerous parts of my world. It's firmly dead, I assure you."

"Okay," Quinn said, pulling them on and taking a few steps, looking at him then like she'd just discovered the stars for the first time. "By gods, these are the most comfortable things I've ever worn. I'm not going to bore you with why exactly, but this is definitely a plus for Terran girls."

She gave another twirl, grinning when she saw him watching her with amusement.

"You were telling me about the mixed-race babies," Quinn said.

"Truth is, no one knows," Rhys answered, aware that the numbers were counting down on the dial of his transmitter. "It hasn't been long enough to draw any conclusions. They all become warriors, but the children born from a Terran female tend to have skills the others don't. It's why we value Terrans so highly."

"As stock," Quinn stated before biting her lip, clearly regretting saying that.

"As fateds," Rhys corrected her firmly. "We don't harm females. There's no glory in hurting someone who can't give us a fight."

And there, the glint of distrust flared in Quinn's eyes.

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly. "My sister didn't look too happy. And the bruises on her didn't come from any fall –"

"Stop," Rhys warned her, coming closer and hating how fast the light was disappearing from Quinn's eyes. "Leave her be. She is not your concern anymore. She belongs with her fated."

"The guy's an asshole," Quinn argued vehemently, backing away. "And Cassie will always be my sister. Nothing is going to change that."

"Relations like that count very little on Luminos."

"To you," Quinn said and the seriousness of her voice told Rhys she meant it. "It means everything to me. I don't know how you can expect me to completely change who I am as a person just because you're dragging me to an alien world that's not my home.

"Sure, you can keep repeating all you like that it's my new home. I get it, trust me. I get that I'm never seeing Terra again, but you can forget about me leaving it behind for good. I'm still me, no matter what corner of the galaxy I'm in."

She was heaving when she finished, the fury he'd apparently awoken surrounding her like an aura. Rhys regarded her.

"Is that why you didn't resist?" he asked.

"Didn't resist?" Quinn asked, teetering between nervousness and anger. "You made me beg for you. It's vivid in my memory."

"I mean back on the Union ship," Rhys said calmly but forcefully. "I thought it was surprising that you came along without trying to fight me or escape. I suspected it when I saw you with your sister in the bay, but now I see it's true. You came to save her."

Quinn stared at him, her lips pressed tightly together, hesitating.

"I know there's no escape from Luminos," she answered noncommittally.

"There are other types of escape," Rhys replied, determined not to let her off the hook once he had her. "Ones that don't need you to physically get away. Was that not what you were thinking of? Closeness, comfort? Suffering together? Have you convinced yourself that what you're doing is noble?"

As soon as the words had left his lips, Rhys knew all the closeness they'd experienced on the day before was coming apart at the seams. Quinn stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time.

Maybe she was. Maybe that was the first moment when she fully acknowledged he wasn't like her. They didn't live in the same world, didn't follow the same codes or obey the same rules.

"I am not doing this to be noble," Quinn finally managed to hiss at him.

"Then stop," Rhys warned her before she could say more. "You are going to get your sister more hurt if you try to help her. No Nayanor warrior would stand for someone trying to intervene with their bond. He can't touch you, so everything you do will backfire on her. That is how Luminos works.

"There are no rules that say you can't maintain relations with her. The warrior belongs to my crew so she'll be nearby. Let me make this very clear to you now, Quinn. If you put ideas of escape or resistance into her head, she'll suffer. And I will never let you see her again if you stir up trouble.

"Talk to her if you need to. Say the wrong thing and it's over."

Quinn's eyes were glaring daggers at him. His fated was practically shaking with rage, but Rhys knew it would have been so much worse if he didn't speak to her.

Every word he'd told her was the truth, after all.

"Come now," he told Quinn, motioning for her to follow. "We are going to take a fighter to Luminos. I think it's better if you don't accompany the other females to the major fortresses.

"I will show you our home. And I hope you remember not to do anything foolish."